Jazz '86 Rounds Up Top-name Talent

May 11, 1986|By Lauren McFaul of The Sentinel Staff

Eclectic is the word for the musical lineup of Orlando Jazz '86, which will be held Monday through next Sunday at theaters and at Eola Park Bandshell. Shows at the bandshell Saturday and next Sunday will be free.

Owen, a native of Balboa Island, Calif., counts George Winston among his influences. Three of Owen's tunes from his Euphoria album were used by ABC-TV during coverage of the 1984 Olympics.

Tickets for both performances -- first come, first served -- are $8 in advance and $10 the day of show.

-- Saturday's free concert at the Eola Park Bandshell in downtown Orlando will begin at 7:30 p.m. with Viola Collins and the Rhythm Method.

Next up, at 8:30, will be Harvie Swartz/Urban Earth. An electric bassist for soul singer James Brown during the mid-'70s, Swartz has since returned to upright bass. Urban Earth is both the name of his group and the title of his 1985 album.

The David Grisman Quintet will continue the show with a 10 p.m. performance. Grisman, a violinist and mandolin player, calls his sound Dawg Music. His latest album -- his 10th -- is Acousticity, a mixture of pop, funk, jazz and bluegrass with a little bit of calypso thrown in.

-- Next Sunday's free shows at Eola Park Bandshell will begin at 1 p.m. with the Yvonne Harris Trio, followed at 2:30 by the Rich Walker Quintet and at 4 by Gumbi Ortiz & Friends.

At 5:30 p.m., Alexander Zonjic is scheduled. A rock guitarist from Canada, Zonjic took up flute at age 21, rising to principal flutist for the Detroit Symphony. He spent two years touring with jazz keyboardist Bob James and his 1985 album, Elegant Evening, was recorded with jazz guitarist Earl Klugh.

Vocalist Ben Sidran, who will perform at 7 p.m., is best known for his 1982 stint as the host of Jazz Alive on National Public Radio. A Chicago native, Sidran has toured with University of Wisconsin schoolmates Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs. Sidran's latest album is On the Cool Side. His doctoral thesis evolved into Black Talk, a volume on the sociology of black music.

At 8:30 p.m., a more famous doctor will close out the festival: Doc Severinsen with his fusion group Xebron. Musical director for The Tonight Show, Severinsen is also resident conductor of the Phoenix Pops Orchestra.

Severinsen and Xebron divide their time among appearances in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, small clubs and college campuses across the nation.